EDF Energy's nuclear power stations

EDF Energy's parent organisation, EDF Group, operates the largest civil nuclear fleet in the world, with existing and planned nuclear power stations in France, the UK, the US and China.

EDF Energy owns and operates 15 nuclear plants at eight nuclear power stations in the UK. These stations have a combined capacity of just under 8.8 million kilowatts (kW): a significant proportion of the UK's total installed electricity generation capacity from all energy sources, which comes to about 85 million kW.

Closures

All but one of these power stations are scheduled to close by the end of 2023. EDF Energy has a strategic objective, subject to commercial viability and to meeting the requirements of the safety authority, to secure an extension of 20 years for Sizewell B and an average of five-year life extensions for the rest of the fleet.

The two advanced gas-cooled reactors (AGRs) at Hinkley Point B have been operating since 1976 and have a combined capacity of 870,000kW. They are currently scheduled to close in 2023. Hinkley Point A, the first nuclear power station to be built on this site on the coast of Somerset, was closed in 2000.

Hunterston B

Hunterston B's two AGRs have been operating since 1976 and have a combined capacity of 890,000kW. They are currently scheduled to close in 2023. As the name suggests, Hunterston B is the second nuclear power station to be built on this site on the west coast of Scotland. The first, Hunterston A, was closed in 1989.

Dungeness B

The two AGRs at Dungeness B have been operating since 1983 and have a combined capacity of 1.04 million kW. They are currently scheduled to close in 2018. Dungeness A, the first nuclear power station to be built on this site on England’s south-east coast, was closed in 2006.

Heysham 1 and 2

The two AGRs at Heysham 1, located on the north-west coast of England, have been operating since 1983. They are scheduled to close in 2019. The two AGRs at Heysham 2, also on the north-west coast, have been operating since 1988 and are not currently scheduled to close until 2023. Heysham 1 and 2 have a combined capacity of 2.37 million kW.

Hartlepool

The two AGRs at Hartlepool, on the north-east coast of England, have been operating since 1983. They are scheduled to close in 2019. They have a combined capacity of 1.19 million kW.

Torness

The two AGRs at Torness, near Dunbar in East Lothian, have been operating since 1988 and are currently scheduled to close in 2023. They have a combined capacity of 1.21 million kW.

Sizewell B

Sizewell B is the only pressurised water reactor (PWR) in EDF Energy's fleet. It has been operating since 1995 and is not scheduled to close until 2035. Its capacity is 1.19 million kW. Sizewell A, the first nuclear power station to be built on this site on the East Anglian coast, was closed in 2006.

New nuclear

EDF Energy proposes to build two new nuclear plants at Hinkley Point and two at Sizewell, all adjacent to the existing sites. The company is currently consulting with the respective local communities about these. The four new plants would be latest-generation European pressurised water reactors (EPRs). Each pair of plants would have a combined capacity of 3.2 million kW and generate enough electricity for the equivalent of 5 million homes.